Why Not?
by Arysa
Summary: A Chichiri X Ayn (original character) story about making choices and choosing paths. Please note, rating may change. Completely rewritten thanks for the reviews!
1. Ayn's Arrival

This story is a sequel to "Too Many Mikos" which detailed how Ayn and Chichiri fell in love. There is one reference to my NC17 fiction about Arysa and Tasuki called "A Night with Tasuki" but … uhmm … the title says it all in that case ;)

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are copyright of Yu Watase and are just being borrowed for this brief interlude.

** Why not?  
By: Arysa   
Chapter 1: Ayn's Arrival**

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Ayn was visiting her best friend Arysa for whom she was daily growing more concerned. It seems as though her friend really believed that she had visited Fushigi Yuugi land, and worse, had a very _interesting_ night with Tasuki. Of course, Ayn knew that Arysa was mostly nuts but still she had always seemed to be on the right side of reality. If Arysa refused to visit the specialist she had found, she didn't know what she would do!

"Ayn, what are you thinking of?" asked Arysa as she handed Ayn a teacup. The two friends were having tea in Arysa's living room. The sunlight smiling through the window seemed to laugh at Ayn's fears.

"Arysa, I really wish you'd see Dr. Ekakustim." stated Ayn sadly. Ayn put down her teacup and stared hard at her companion. "I think you need serious help."

Arysa grinned and put down her teacup. Her hand moved to her pocket and she took out two necklaces. Each necklace consisted of a leather thong and a beautiful oriental looking bead. "I'll make you a deal," said Arysa smugly, "you wear this and I'll see the new Quack doctor."

The necklace was gorgeous and the reds and yellows of the bead brought out the highlights in Ayn's hair. The bead felt warm almost like there were flames within. She fingered the necklace and idly wondered about the truth of Arysa's encounter with the fiery Tasuki and giggled. She put on the necklace as Arysa slipped hers over her head. "Thank you." said Ayn. Bending to Ayn's wishes, Arysa immediately made an appointment to see the shrink. Ayn headed for home feeling lighter than she had in weeks.

Their problems had begun last month when Ayn and Arysa shared this weird dream about actually being in Fushigi Yuugi land. Now, Ayn knew about fantasies and reality but sadly, it seemed the distinction was lost on Arysa. Ayn wanted … no … needed to let go of the memories of that mirage. She had a new boyfriend whom she thought she could love but with Arysa trying to make her believe … How could she concentrate on her new relationship if she thought for one minute that we she and Chichiri had shared was real? 

Ayn entered her house morosely and closed the door softly behind her. She took of her shoes and padded disconsolately up the stairs. She sat on her bed and looked around her room. Everything seemed gray and dismal compared to the bead on her new necklace. She held the bead tight in her hands and felt it heat up at her touch, though she tried to fight herself she found her thoughts inexplicitly turning to a strange yet familiar land. Ayn fell back on her bed and gave herself to the visions that holding the bead conjured in her soul, her mind, her heart and then … right in front of her eyes! 

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To be continued ...


	2. Chichiri's Children

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are copyright of Yu Watase and are just being borrowed for this brief interlude.

** Why not?  
By: Arysa   
Chapter 2: Chichiri's Children**

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Her eyes were open and she wasn't dreaming but how could what she see be real? Ayn had arrived in an open green field. In the distance she could see the faint outline of mountains. The air was crisp and filled with laughter. She turned and saw a man surrounded by a gaggle of laughing adolescents. He was engaged in keeping the kids at bay by firing small bouts of red energy. As each beam came near a child, their hands deftly reflected the light back to their guardian in four different colors.

The blue haired teacher brought his staff down hard on the ground signaling play time was over. "Time for homework children!" he cried happily. "Come now, homework can be fun no da!" he said as he herded his brood into a long building off to the right but he remained outside.

The monk rested against the building, he looked weary. He turned to check the position of the sun and came face to face with a beautiful familiar young woman not of his world. He shook his head roughly but still the woman stayed in his sight. "Ayn?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes." said Ayn. She was quite confused. Was this Chichiri? Who were those children? What was she doing here? Before she could form another question she was in his arms.

"Ayn" whispered the blue-haired mage happily. "I've missed you no da." He held her tight for what seemed like an eternity, let her go reluctantly and softly demanded "Why are you here?"

"I don't know Chichiri" admitted Ayn. She reached for his mask and dropped it to the ground. She raised one of her hands to trace the line of his scar, he felt warm and real. His body slumped forwards and he lay his head on her shoulder "I cannot send you back Ayn." he admitted. "I'm recovering from sending Arysa back to your world. You must stay." She kissed Chichiri's neck and breathed in his ear "I want to stay."

A loud cry of "Chichiri-Sensei!" came from the building beside the couple. Chichiri stood up straight, smiled and pulled another mask out of thin air to cover his face. "We cannot scare my children no da!" he exclaimed and escorted Ayn into the schoolhouse.

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As soon as she entered the schoolhouse Ayn recognized the constellations of Suzaku on the South wall. She glanced around the room and surmised the diagrams on the other walls must be for the other three gods. Low bookcase benches filled the space on each wall until the diagrams began. A few constellations on each wall were highlighted in a different color; Ayn smiled as she realized "Chichiri" was one of those special constellations. 

There were four doors leading from the main room, of the three that were open two held bunk beds and the third was a kitchen. Ayn blushed bright as she idly wondered where she would be sleeping that night. Her blush deepened when she noticed Chichiri's staff leaning against the fourth door.

The schoolhouse, though modest, seemed happy and alive. Ayn could see how Chichiri would be pleasantly content there fulfilling his role as teacher. A lively fire in the corner of the room lighted the room. The children Ayn had seen earlier were seated on either side of a long table in the center of the room. Now that she could get a closer look at the kids she noticed a few had odd tattoos on their bodies. Some were steadily staring at their books; most were looking up expectantly at Chichiri.

"Questions are meant to be asked no da!" exclaimed Chichiri as he left Ayn's side to approach his class. The children looked downcast and perplexed. Chichiri looked at the open textbook and saw what had caused the silence, the class was history; the subject was the recent Konan/Kutou war.

A young girl carrying the tattoo of the Byakko seishi Subaru raised her eyes from her text to meet the gaze of her sensei to ask only one question: "Why?"

"No da" replied the monk sadly. "Some say we fight the battles of the Gods, others say men war. Each must learn their own path." He laid a hand on the girls shoulder as she stared at the young girl across the table, "Our fate is to fight each other?" she asked hesitantly.

"I will never fight my friend." was the reply from the other girl. The force of her feelings caused a blue field to form around her body, sparks outlining the resolve of her words 

"Soi." Chichiri commanded softly. "Control your chi no da" 

Seriyuu sichiseishi Soi dampened her chi and jut her chin out at her teacher. "I will only fight for my friends, not against them." she said proudly and defiantly. Her dark red hair was raised slightly from her shoulders by the static electricity of the lightning produced earlier.

A young man beside Soi stood up beside her, his blonde hair and quiet demeanor a contrast to Soi's dark looks and outright rebellion. He put a hand on Soi's shoulder and she visibly relaxed. The blue glow that had been emanating from her divided amongst the comrades to illuminate the sign of Nakago on the boy's forehead.

"We will do as we must" the youngest of the students present piped up "but we need not repeat past mistakes, past atrocities, if we learn from our failings. That is why we fellow seishi from were sent here by our emperors." The child paused for a brief minute, then gave a puzzled look to his fellow classmates. "Besides," he continued, "we are very lucky because we can study here all the time, and studying is never boring!"

The class erupted into giggles, which cut the tension into ribbons. Chichiri sighed with relief and walked over to the startling intelligent small boy. "Chiriko," he said, "you are wise at any age no da" and ruffled his hair.

"That's enough for one day no da! To bed!" cried Chichiri gladly. The students gathered their books and replaced them in the shelves along the wall. Subaru and Soi walked arm in arm to one room while the remaining male seishi went towards the other door. Ayn approached Chichiri and looked at him expectantly. 

"Ai." whispered Chichiri "you will stay with me tonight no da" He took Ayn by the hand and opened the fourth door to reveal a small bedchamber. Ayn trembled at the feel of her hand in his and the thoughts of what the night would bring. 

"You're cold no da" said Chichiri concernedly. He led her to the bed and sat her down. He bent to light the stack of wood in the fireplace. The small sparks of red chi Chichiri sent to the wood brought dancing warmth to the room. The reds and yellows of the flames brought Ayn's mind back to the necklace given to her just hours earlier. 

"Arysa," Ayn said seriously as she fingered the bead on the necklace, "maybe we're both insane."

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To be continued ...


	3. Defying Destiny

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are copyright of Yu Watase and are just being borrowed for this brief interlude.

** Why not?  
By: Arysa   
Chapter 3: Deciding Destiny**

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Chichiri and Ayn were sharing a companionable silence only broken here and there by soft snaps coming from the greedy blaze in the hearth before the couple. Relaxing, Chichiri sighed contentedly, removed his mask and turned to smile at Ayn. 

The firelight outlined the harsh scar on the left side of his face, which warred with the overall serenity of his features. He sat cross-legged and had his hands on his knees with thumb and middle finger forming a circle. From Ayn's point of view, it seemed that his body was one continuous line. She could easily imagine how he had commanded the energy running in currents through his body to light the wood.

Chichiri stood up and walked towards Ayn. Ayn trembled as she watched him approach. He sat beside her and gently kissed her lips. She had dreamed of this moment for so long! Ayn moved closer to Chichiri and their kiss slowly deepened. Chichiri moved his arms around Ayn and pulled her even closer causing Ayn to moan against his lips.

Suddenly, the fire snapped loudly and the room grew deadly cold. Chichiri stood up from the bed and grabbed his staff resting against the doorframe. The air grew still and strange as the fire began to glow blue. Chichiri moved between Ayn and the mysterious flames. "Identify yourself!" he commanded.

A low laugh that was almost a lament came from the very wood being consumed by the peculiar blaze. "I need no introduction." continued the alien presence. "I have been summoned."

"You were not summoned." stated Chichiri. "Begone!" he spat as he brought the staff in front of his body and his arms in front of his face to cast a spell.

The blue light from the fire melted into the laughter of the voice and formed a handsome man in front of the monk. "You seek to banish a God?" he asked and laughed harder.

"You were not summoned." repeated Chichiri.

"Ai, but we exist where our seishi gather." The God Seriyuu looked long and hard at the monk before him, "did you think that our powers were dependent on our miko?" he laughed again and continued, "If so, would I have chosen such a weak vessel?"

"Yui was strong no da" replied Chichiri. "We all have our own destiny."

"And that destiny will be decided here." stated the God as he fazed out of sight leaving the now normal fire to valiantly fight the waves of cold left in his wake.

"Here?" asked Chichiri. Ayn stood from the bed and hugged Chichiri from behind. Absentmindedly Chichiri put his hands on either of her arms and stared at the fire. He was filled with an overwhelming desire to protect Ayn and his wards. Were the events of this evening related? What in the name of Suzaku did the God Seriyuu mean by deciding destiny!

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To be continued ...


	4. Fighting Fate

Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are copyright of Yu Watase and are just being borrowed for this brief interlude.

** Why not?  
By: Arysa   
Chapter 4: Fighting Fate**

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Chichiri turned and faced Ayn. She could see the confusion and inner turmoil that her lover was experiencing and it struck her in the chest. She pulled Chichiri close in an embrace and asked "Do you want to talk about it Chichiri?"

The monk sighed and for the second time that day rested his head on his beloved's shoulder. His face turned in towards Ayn's neck. She could feel his breath softly caress her body and she sighed deeply. "I wish I could do something to help you through this Love … I feel so useless" she muttered. 

Chichiri stood up straight and looked deeply into Ayn's eyes and saw the love and trust that reflected from deep inside her soul. He sighed. How was he going to protect the ones he loved from a God? Was it possible to avert the upcoming battle? Would his charges grow from the experience or loose heart as Nakago did in his past life? How could …

Ayn kissed Chichiri stopping his streaming thoughts before he could drown in the flood. Their kiss deepened as the two made their way onto his bed. They attempted to stall the impending disaster with their love as their souls met and joined in harmony.

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The morning sun shone fierce and bright into the teacher's small room. Chichiri opened his eyes, looked at Ayn and sighed deeply. Did she know it had been ten years since their last encounter? Would she believe he had been faithful all this time? He felt her move beside her on the bed and began to rub her shoulders. A smile crossed his features as he realized that this was their second night but first morning together. He began to rub her shoulders, thinking how nice it was to hold her in the morning

Ayn smiled as she felt her body instinctively respond to Chichiri's massage. The two lovers kissed and reluctantly left the bed to prepare for the day. Voices raised in loud debate echoed throughout the school and killed the lethargic beauty of the morning. Chichiri was out the door immediately, forgetting to don his habitual mask.

In the study hall, each group of students were arrayed by the wall that bore their constellations. Seen in such a way, it was blatantly obvious that the Seriyuu sichiseishi, being Tomo, Soi, Miboshi and Nakago outnumbered every other group. By the posture of Chichiri's students, it was also obvious that the Seriyuu sichiseishi were now outcasts. Chichiri approached Soi and asked softly "Has something happened, no da?"

Soi glared at her sensei. "How could you ask that?" she spat. What little control she had over her powers was being sorely tested and her blue aura was clearly visible.

"What did you think would happen?" Tomo asked Chichiri. "If we must be slaves to this stage let's begin the dance and have done with the show." he finished with a small flourish of his hands which revealed a small shell.

Chichiri was amazed; he hadn't known Tomo's powers had matured to the point where he would be able to create such a device. Sadly he wondered how many other students he had misjudged.

The Byakko seishi Subaru and Tokaki approached Chichiri and led him a little away from the Seriyuu seishi. They explained to him that last night the student were visited by their respective Gods and issued a challenge or warning. Apparently, the Gods could not take human form without a Miko, but could be given permanent access to the lands of men through possession of a seishi's soul. No God was willing to eternally give up one of their chosen so the matter had never surfaced in the past. However, now that all the Mikos had come and gone, Seriyuu still craved for release. On waking from their visions, the remaining seishi attacked the Seriyuu chosen in an attempt to neutralize the impending threat. In spite of having the advantage of surprise, they had lost and now the students were divided.

Chichiri looked closer at the Seriyuu seishi and noticed Miboshi rubbing his wrists. As Chichiri scanned the room he could see small injuries on almost every student. He made his way slowly back towards the middle of the room and sat at the long table. At this point, Ayn entered the room and sat down beside him. He immediately put his arm around her and said "Fate can bring much, no da, but you must choose your path." 

"My path?" snorted Nakago as he stared at Ayn resting comfortably in Chichiri's arms, "It seems my path always lies alone."

Ayn sighed sadly as she listened to the young warriors words. She wished she could help the child see through the situation to the possibilities beneath, but he wasn't ready and she lacked the skill.

"It seems we are all societal rejects today," said a grinning Miboshi who reached into his jacket and pulled out a spinning top. The top flew up in the air and began to throw blue light around the Seriyuu seishi. The other students gasped in amazement as Miboshi began to levitate three meters of the ground. "I AM fate!" he cried, "Try to fight me this time Chiriko." Miboshi declared as he teleported Chiriko's body to his level.

Chiriko squirmed in a grip of hot blue chi. The other seishi approached the Seriyuu foursome threateningly. Tomo laughed and opened his shell. Nakago placed his hands in front of his body in ready stance while Soi began to gather lightening in her palm. 

Chichiri stood up quickly from the desk and beat his staff against the ground three times. He placed a hand in front of his face and red light bathed the room. Each of his students fell asleep on the spot; even Ayn began to get drowsy. He looked down at her, smiled thoughtfully and whispered, "Sometimes you fight fate and other times you embrace it no da, sleep now." He took off his kessa and made a pillow for Ayn, who took it and leaned her head forward on the table and slept. 

When all of his charges were sound asleep, Chichiri went off in search of his kasa. It was time to visit old friends about new problems.

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To be continued ... 


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